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Hanover — Upper Valley families looking to outfit their children for the upcoming winter sports season will have the opportunity to do so at a reasonable rate this Sunday at the annual Ford Sayre Ski Sale in Hanover.

The event takes place from noon-2 p.m. at Richmond Middle School at 63 Lyme Road. Consignment items can be dropped off at the school from 6-7:30 p.m. on Friday and from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. on Saturday.

It can get expensive for families to keep up with the needs growing children who outgrow skis and boots year after year.

“The (ones) most interested in the sale, and the ones we try to take the most care of, are the young families with lots of gear,” said Steve Thom who has coordinated the sale for the nonprofit organization Ford Sayre for more than a decade. “The families with young children come year and year and we talk about how they’ve grown.”

While the equipment is mostly made up of Alpine and Nordic skiing equipment and boots, attendees can also find helmets, ice skates, snowboards and winter clothing.

Volunteers are there to assist buyers determine which equipment is the best fit.

“We do have experts around to help out,” Thom said.

The gear isn’t limited to children. There is plenty for adults as well. Those who sell consigned gear receive ⅔ of the profit, with the other third going toward Ford Sayre’s scholarship fund. The sale raises anywhere from $4,000-$10,000 each year, Thom said. Additionally, other outside vendors are present.

The annual sale is a bit of an institution in the Upper Valley and has been taking place for decades.

“I got all my equipment from Ford Sayre when I was a kid,” Thom said, referencing his Upper Valley childhood in the 1970s. “It was so important to me growing up.”

Thom recommends that people get there early: it’s not unusual for a few hundred people to line up before the doors open. Each year, upward of 1,000 people attend.

And the leftover equipment doesn’t go to waste. After the sale is over, the remaining gear is donated to Listen.